The Rules of Dating
by KellyYeoh
Summary: Mikan has a low self esteem, Natsume is perfect and Ruka doesnt have emotions. What do these three have in common? Please R&R -
1. Prologue

Summary : Mikan has a low self esteem, Natsume is perfect and Ruka doesnt have emotions. What do these three have in common? Please R&R ^-^

Disclaimer : I do not own Gakuen Alice, no sir I don't.

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Character Profiles

**Mikan Sakura** _(Age 17)_  
They say that broken down girls have low self esteem and are more likely to shut themselves off from the rest of the world. It's mostly true, that is if you are not Mikan. As a girl that can say she has experienced true pain, Mikan finds herself trying to mask her inner emotions and replace it with a cheerful, positive attitude. She never wants anyone to feel left out and tries to make friends with whom ever she meets. But her strength is also her downfall. Not knowing the right time to cry or to be sad, Mikan is oblivious to her true feelings.  
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Natsume Hyuuga** _(Age 17)_  
The all too clique nice guy at school. He's everyone's friend, buddy, pal, or any other name you can think of. Being the captain of Seoul High's soccer team and THE ulzzang of the school, girls swoon over him and the guys want to be just like him. Perfect grades, perfect smile, perfect life. Never has Natsume come across a path that he couldn't easily prevail. But when certain events changed, he found himself hopelessly lost in a whirlpool of challenging problems.

**Ruka Nogi** _(Age 17)_  
Mostly known as the "mysterious new guy" in school, Ruka mostly keeps to himself. Barely speaking a word to anyone, his company is basically his ipod and those worn out pair of nike dunks. Being an ulzzang right after entering Seoul High, everyone one is curious about where he came from and what he is like. One who doesn't smile, talk, or even look up – you can just imagine why everyone is talking about the new kid.

So what do these three have in common? Let's say that a certain person experiences a tragedy and has to move in with another certain person. It doesn't go smoothly in the beginning and before you can even say "school's out!" these three people will become internally and externally entangled with each other.

Too vague for you? Well, time will only tell.

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Review if you can, i know i didn't quite update for a while. Blame my laziness. Anyway, hope you like this chapter cause someone gave me an idea ^ - ^


	2. Dating rule no1 Leave a good impression

Disclaimer : No, I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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_"Did you hear about what happened to Mikan's parents?"_

_"I heard they crashed off a cliff and into the ocean."_

"Well I heard they hit a truck and the car flipped over like 20 times before it hit a building."

"Do you know who Mikan is staying with now?"

"My friend told me she had to stay in an orphanage because she has no relatives."

"How is that possible?"

"Duh, her parents were the only child of their families."

"But still, she must have someone… Oh crap, I think she is looking this way!"

My ears were throbbing from the amount of whispers being spoken around me, and about me, while I was in my last class for the day. Obviously people knew what events happened over the weekend and made it their juicy gossip for the day.

As for me, I was just trying to get through school without going crazy or screaming at the nosy students. They didn't know what I was going through or how I was feeling. No one knew.

All I felt was numbness throughout the day. I could barely think, talk, eat, or feel anything as I thought about my parents. The truth was, to the misfortune of those rumors, my parents died because my dad was a business man and money was a cruel thing. Bribes, and the refusal to accept a bribe, cost my parents their lives and all I could do is sit and watch my life turn into nothing but crumbles.

"Miss Sakura?" I voice from the distance said "Miss Sakura?"

I looked up from my desk and saw a lady, the childcare services person I saw after I found out about my parents, looking down at me with pity in her smile.

I hate pity.

"Oh, hi…" I said quietly and went back to looking down at my desk.

She shuffled in her spot for a little before speaking up "Today you're going to be leaving class a bit early to discuss plans about your living arrangements."

My classmates were, of course, listening because as soon as she finished her sentence the room erupted with more whispers. "Fine." I said quickly before grabbing my things and walking out the classroom.

"So, let's get started shall we?" The lady said as we sat at a lunch table outside. I didn't bother learning her name because I knew I'd eventually stop seeing her. "Well, it looks like there is no immediate family to send you to. We tried looking into extended family members but the closest one lives in America and I'm sure you don't want to move countries away. So we're left with one last option…"

My stomach had a weird sensation as she talked "And that is?"

"Although you have no legal godparents, we did find a letter from your dad saying that if anything were to happen, you would be placed in the hands of their two friends from high school. From research we found out that your parents were good friends with them in high school. They did grow apart after college but still kept in touch. I called them up, the Chois, and talked about your situation. They said they'll gladly take you in if…"

"Where?" I interrupted.

She gulped "Seoul." She whispered.

My heart sank. That's where my parents died, in that stupid city where business is life and money is power. My dad always traveled there for meetings and would come home upset and tired. And my mom got the best of it when he was in a bad mood. They fought a lot, ever since I was a kid.

"There's no other option?" My voice cracked.

"I'm sorry, but this is the last resort." She put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, everything will be fine. They are nice people, I checked up on them. And don't worry about packing or anything; I've taken care of it. All that's left is for you to go to Seoul."

I sighed "I mean, if I have no other option, then I just have to accept what is left for me." I said as I took one last good look at my old high school.

It was the beginning of a new life and the end of an old one.

- - - - -

I sat awkwardly in the living of the new family I'd be staying with. Just a couple of hours ago I was still talking to the child service lady about my new living arrangements and now it was actually happening.

"Take it as a gift." I said to myself "Mikan, you will stay strong and look at the good side of things."

Although I didn't like the situation I was in, I have to say that there is one aspect I absolutely adored about the Hyuuga home. It shouldn't come to anyone's surprise how I loved the ordinariness of their home. They had a typical two story, cozy house with parents working ordinary jobs. No dirty tactics or dirty money.

You can't blame me for thinking like this after all.

"Hello Mikan. Oh dear, you have become quite the young lady." A lady said from behind me.

Turning around I looked to see a middle aged woman with flour on her face and smiling eyes that would be welcoming to anyone. "Ummm, hi?" I said questioningly.

She chuckled and came around the couch and sat next to me "Your parents used to send us pictures of you growing up but stopped for the past couple of years due to their busy schedule. It's wonderful to see that you are growing up to be as beautiful as you were during your childhood years."

"Thanks…" was I could manage to say.

"Alright then, it looks like everything is going smoothly." The child care services lady said "I'll be going now so that Mikan here could start getting comfortable around the house. I'll give you a few days before we discuss about the rest of the possessions left in the old house."

With that she left through the front door, leaving me to become even more awkward.

"Errr, where should I put my luggage?" I asked softly.

"Oh, silly me!" Mrs. Hyuuga said out loud. "I completely forgot to show you to your room. Come on, let's head upstairs."

With that I grabbed my luggage, one on each hand, and unsteadily headed up the stairs. As I walked through the hallway I saw family pictures and baby pictures of Mrs. Hyuuga's family. It seemed that they had one son but I didn't find any recent pictures of him to compare.

"Here we are." She said as we stopped halfway through the hallway. I took a look inside and smiled silently to myself. It was a soft yellow color with a wooden floor that creaked and a medium sized closet.

This was definitely ordinary in my book.

"It was a guest room before you came." She said as she turned to me "So don't feel burdened and say that I went through all this trouble and blah blah."

I bit my lip from laughing and nodded as I entered the room. "Where is the bathroom? I want to freshen up a little." I asked as I sat down on the soft, comfy bed.

"Oh yes, the bathroom" She stepped out into the hallway "It's all the way down the hall. Take your time in there and make sure to tell me if you need anything."

I nodded and she waved goodbye before leaving me alone in my new room. Lying on my bed for a while, I let my mind process all the events that happened within a span of four days. I was so happy at the beginning of last weekend and now that a new week has started, I find myself drained and exhausted.

"A shower will do me good." I said as I grabbed my towel and extra clothes. Walking out of my room I noticed that there was another door right across from me "It must be their son's room." I figured.

Stepping into the bathroom, I turned on the shower head and proceeded to do my regular routine. The warm water felt good on my skin and definitely relaxed my tense shoulders.

"That's right Mikan, just relax. This isn't the time to go and cry in front of people who were kind enough to take you in. You can get through this!" I curled my fists up and threw them up in the air.

After a while in the shower I took my towel and wrapped it around my body. Walking out of the tub, I looked in the mirror but it was all fogged up. With my hand I wiped the mist off only to see that the door was opening and a guy was walking in.

Turning around with my eyes as big as saucers, I could only do one thing "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed.

"Oh man! Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't know anyone else was in here. Why did you leave this door unlocked? Oh my god, I'm sorry" The guy said before he slammed the door.

I was too shocked to even move from my spot when a thought hit me. Looking down I realized I was only wearing a small towel that barely covered my thighs. "Oh my god…" I said in horror "Why did he walk in, why?!"

Not wanting to stay in the bathroom any longer just in case anything else happened, I grabbed my clothes and peaked out the door. The hallway was clear and all the doors were shut except for mine. "It's safe" I whispered before running quickly into my room.

But life just isn't that easy.

As soon as I entered my room I collided with someone and fell on the floor. I felt weight on top of me and opened my eyes to find the same guy that walked in on me in the bathroom.

"Ouch, my arms." He said with his husky voice before realizing where he was.

His eyes got wide as it met with mine and I screamed once again "Are you some kind of pervert?! Get off of me and get out of this room!"

And that is how I met Natsume Hyuuga.

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Reviews are highly appreciated :P


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